Drama Dw. 10th November 2011.



(1) Describe the activity (Dance Party)
In the activity we were all in a circle and one person had to go into the middle and do something. Then everyone else had t copy the acting. The first level was slow, the second fast, and the third medium speed.

(2) List lessons/Skills/ Stratergies that can be applied to improvisation.
In improvisation a good kill to have would be able to be confident and be able to just speak whenever needed. Even if it isn't put in the script. A strategy to be able to do this would to feel Comfortable and trust the people you are working with. A lesson you could learn from all this would be to be comfortable with your team members and how to make up something on a spot.

(3) Reflect on your personal performance in the activities. Discuss challenges, surprises, progress and reactions etc.
I think i did alright in this activity. I don't think i did the best in it though, because i had trouble in doing what some of the other people in the class were doing because i don't trust everyone in my class. I think i did alright because i tried the best that i could during this activity. The challenges i had in this activity were, making something up on a spot, doing what some of the actions were and just randomly going out to do the action in the middle (I was the last one to go at the end.) I didn't find any surprises in this activity. My progress i think started out better than at the ending. I think this is because i had more confidence in the beginning than end.

Drama Dw. 17th November 2011

(1) Describe the activities.
The first activity we did we were put in groups one group observed and made a big circle were the pother group when in the middle of the circle and had to do a movement. When one person was doing a movement anyone else in the group can jump in. To jump in you had to clap your hands and then you could go. We then swapped the groups around.
The second activity we did was about the same except while going around you had to make a noise to match the movement. For example if you were walking around heavy you could go ‘Boom Boom Boom’
The third and last activity we did for improvisation was where the whole class was in a circle and one person started off, the had to walk around slowly speaking to themselves about their thoughts. The speech couldn’t be directed at anyone. When you wanted to jump in you had to shout, “Freeze.” Then you where able to go.
(2) What lessons/strategies were learnt during these activities?
In these activity I did learn that I have to be more confidant and out going to do these activities well. I will do this by just keep trying my best in these activities.

(3) Reflect on your personal performance.
I think I did alright in these activities. I didn’t do as well as I can do. But I did as best I could today. My challenges in these activities were trying to find a noise to do with my action and to find a place to go out into the circle.
The level of the activity I liked best was the first one just the moving. The one I liked best afterwards was the last one. And the level of activity I didn’t like the best was the one with the noises and actions going together.

(4) Goals:
My goal for the first level (just moving and clapping) is to do it more frequently.
My goal for the second level (moving noises and clapping) is to be louder and do it more frequently.
My goal for the third level (the speaking to yourself and yelling freeze) is to be louder and go more frequently.
All my goals are about the same. As I want to improve the same on all of them.

How we are being marked:


A: Knowledge and understanding: PPT presentation on Shakespeare and Elizabethan Era

B: Application: Shakespeare improvisation.

Reflection: DW Entries

D: Personal Engagement: Continued observation of effort and input.



Drama Dw: 24th November 2011.
1) Describe the activity
We did two activities. The first one were there was 2 lines of chairs 4 people on each side. One side was the interviewer and one was the expert. After a certain amount of time the interviewer goes down to the right and goes to the next expert. Each time you got a new interviewer you had to talk about a different topic. Then the roles got switched.
The second activity we did was video taped. You had to choose a blue piece of paper with the topic and then you had to talk about it.

2) What lessons/strategies/skills were learned?
The lessons I learned was just to relax and just talk. I think I did better in this activity than the other ones.

3) Reflect on your personal performance.
I think I did better in this activity than I have in the other activities we have done so far. I found the first activity with everyone switching easier than the other one because not everyone was watching you and you got to choose your topic instead of picking a random one. I still think I did okay in the video taped one.
The video taped activity I found was a lot more awkward when there was nothing to talk about.

4)
Goals:
I think I have achieved one of my goals of being more confident and doing more in the activities.
My goal for next week is to try and be a bit more louder and talk more.


My Elizabethan Era Assessment
7th December 2011.



8th December 2011.
Reflection on the Unit:

I enjoyed this unit and think i improved a lot with improvisation and my knowledge about the Elizabethan Era and Shakespeare. In the first activity for improvisation we did was the dance party and i didn't do to well in it. The last improvisation we did was a 60 second fairytale.
Our groups first fairytale was Jack and the beanstalk, which we did alright we ran out of time to complete the story and not much was said and done. Our second fairy tale was Rapunzel, and we did a lot better except we didn't have an ending. And for our final assessment in improvisation we re did Rapunzel with an ending. It turned out well and we did it in 55 seconds!
I think my performance in these activities got better and our final assessment was the best. I think i achieved my goals as i did speak more and louder and moved. Next time i would try to use more facial expressions and maybe speak a little bit louder and more.
The whole unit has taught me a lot about shakespeare and how it was to live in the Elizabethan Era also about how to improvise and trust that the people you are working with will join in.


19th January 2012.

Our project is to film a reality show. Ours is based from Toddlers and Tiaras but instead we are calling ours Pageant Princesses. We have two weeks to complete the project. In the first week we planned to have the interviews done and have the scrips written and having the website up. And in the other week to have everything edited uploaded and to have finished the eposide.
In the first week we have completed having both interviews filmed, one edited and one almost done, one uploaded. The website created and the script written. For next week we have to have the episode filmed, edited and uploaded.
From everything we've done is successful and been done. The most difficult task for us was to have the website created and edited. And the easiest and funnest task for us was to have the interviews filmed.
I think i have contributed well in task as i helped do everything with the rest of my group.

19th January 2012.

The activity we did was were 3 people had to go outside and think of a story a true story, and we all had to tell one story and make it sound believable and the rest of the class and they had to decide who was right.
I was one of the liars. Being up there and lying puts you on the spot because you don't know who's going to ask what and if your story is going to sound believable. i found the hardest part of this activity trying to convince people that you were telling the truth.
Being one of the audience asking questions and deciding who's telling the truth is hard because usually theres one liar who you know is lying but the other two people are usually the same and you don't know who's telling the truth. In the end you find out who it is and you then realise the things that make you tell you kind off can tell they are lying.

25th January 2012.
I am going to be attempting to deliver my part by changing my voice tones depending on the situation and punctuation used in the sentence. My movements by walking or sitting. My expression but looking at different people for different parts and gestures by playing with something seeming worried.


26th January 2012.
Toddlers and Tiaras.
  1. Our original concept was to create a reality show like toddlers and tiaras, in the show we must include contestants, judges, and some mothers.
  2. Our final project was close to our original concept, we had the contestants and it was like toddlers and tiaras, the only difference was that we didn’t have any mothers. We didn’t have the mothers because we couldn’t find any that would let us film them.
  3. Our hardest challenge was to find the people and film them. Our successes was filming and putting everything together and making the website.
  4. My personal challenge was to get our cast to pay attention and get them to say what we wanted. My personal success was editing the videos.
  5. Checklist:
    1. Webpage (done)
    2. Character feature videos (done)
    3. Episode trailer (done)
    4. List of upcoming episodes (done)
    5. Show Concept (done)
We completed all the tasks, not all were completed the way we originally wanted and we were in the episode, when we weren’t meant to be, but we completed them all successfully. Our main reason for it not being having it the same as our original concept and for us being in the episode is because we didn’t have enough people to put in the video and use as cast. I think if I was in a different group it wouldn’t have worked as well and we completed it in good time and used our time wisely.
Next time in the future if we will get more cast so we can complete it without including ourselves.

2nd February 2012

I think my feedback is right, and i will try to use it next time i try. I will try by speaking louder and a bit clearer. I will remove my hand from my face and try to stand straight. Next time i will also breathe a lot more and for longer!


16th February 2012.

I think our commercials went well as we put everything needed in it and it was clear. Our performance was a lot better than last week. I think this was because we practiced a lot more and went through and changed some of the things that didn’t make sense.
I think I improved as I stood a bit more confident and wasn’t so quite. My weaknesses today were remembering what I had to say and do and when. Next time I will be a bit louder and clearer.


8th March 2012.

How challenging was it to follow the text directions to create a visual image?

I didn’t find it that challenging as the first directions tell you were everything is and then on it uses those locations to tell you were everything is in the setup.
The most challenging part for me was trying to locate the items that weren’t so clear where to put. A few of these were the cabinet, book case and the footlights.

The differences I’ve made since my first draft was to move the small table, rocking chair and arm chairs more to the center and moving the sofa to the left (infront of the window) and moving the bookcase next to the stove.

Kate_SetDraft1.JPG <- my first idea of what the stage should look like.
Kate_SetFinal.JPG <-- the corrected version.


8th March 2012.

I think the entrances and excites activity was good because we all got something different that the class didn't know what it was. Because there was no talking i think it made it easier for a lot of people but also harder. I think it made it easier because you didn't have to change your voice volume or pitch, but i think it also made it harder because you were only allowed to use facial expressions and movements.
I didn't do so well in this activity because i kept a blank facial expression the whole time and didn't use my body very much.
Next time i would try to use my body more.


15th March 2012.

Circle activity:

This activity we all were in a circle and the first time you had to say your middle name the first person starts and then the second person has to say the first persons middle name and then there’s, the third person has to say the first second then there’s. This activity was easy but hard. I think it was easy because we already knew most peoples middle names but it was hard because you had to remember how to pronounce it and in what order to do it in.
After we had to do the same thing but add on an object and an activity we liked to do. This made this activity really hard because you had to remember the names the order and the activities. I think it was also hard because you some of the objects and activities had nothing to do with each other.
My weakness in this activity would probably be remembering the order of the different people.

Classroom activity:
This activity everyone in the classroom had to make a pose and one person had to leave the classroom, while the person as out the classroom 3 people had to change positions. When the person came back in they had to say who had moved.
When I went outside I came back in and could easily tell who had moved and when. I find looking at people and then looking again and saying what has changed easier than reading or listening over and over again.


29th March 2012.
Time bomb:

In this activity we had to be in a circle and hold hands, one person would be lit and have to pass the flame around by squeezing the other persons hand, secretly. When the bomb reached the end the person had to blow up and fall to the ground, yelling “BOOM!”
This activity was my favourite, I think I tried the best in this activity and did well. My strength would be being able to pass the flame around discreetly but my weakness would be when I had to blow up at the end because I wasn’t as loud as I could be and my reaction was kind off slow and small.
To improve I would be louder and make my actions bigger.


28th March 2012.
Tips for exam and way to speak scene.

  1. Use body language more (use my body to the way he says things, in shock and overwhelmed.)
  2. Emphasize on some words. For example. I think we should break up.


2nd May 2012

“Am I an actor/actress?”

I do not consider myself an actress, as I don’t find finding pleasure or myself enjoying in acting on a stage in front of people. Although I am not an actress I could be if I just developed my confidence and speaking skills and start to enjoy being on a stage being watched by others.
To be considered an actor or actress to me you would have to enjoy acting or being on a stage. Anyone can be an actor you don’t have to be paid.


MAIN DW ENTRY FOR THE FINAL PERFORMANCE!
Dw Entries,
4th June 2012
Kate Harrison

Character development:
I think me and my character both developed a lot over time as at the beginning I was shy and didn’t want to speak or express any feelings my character was meant to express but at the end I was a lot better and I think I improved as my end result on the stage was louder and slower. I think I could still improve on my acting skills by improving my body language and movement. To improve I would go over my lines more to feel more comfortable being my character and improvising if we, I mess up.
Application Skills:
I think the games and exercises we did in class helped me because I learnt what to do when I don’t know what I’m meant to say, they also helped me stop my nervous habits of playing with my hair as much and what to do with my hands and body.
Group Experience:
I think the group experience was good as we both didn’t completely rely on each other, although, he was a big part on me being able to say my lines. Next time to improve I think I would practice with my partner without the lines more and the movements.
Performance Experience:
I think my overall performance on the night had improved a lot from the exam performance. I think I did better because I spoke and looked at the audience at some parts, I think what I had to say got delivered across although not as well as I would like. I think the games and exercises we did in class helped me a lot and also when I tied back my hair because I tied back my hair I think it improved my performance because people could see my lips and emotions I was trying to portray, it also might have helped me because I knew I wouldn’t be able hide or ‘run away’ from the audience. To improve I would just feel more comfortable being my character and around the other person in my scene.